Welding method and product



March 6, 1951 RT 2,544,335

WELDING METHOD AND PRODUCT Filed Feb. 25, 1948 A/A/PTtWJ/WC STA/A/L 55 10 74067'/1//7F0/M///V6 A 4147,44 'I/IIIIIIIIIIIIIII/IIIIIIIIIIIIIII/II/IIIIIIII/III/I/fi 11 sum 1:36 15 5754-1 WL-ZD l 4 06657 IN VEN TOR.

GEORGE EDWIN LINNERT HIS ATTORNEY fiatented Mar. 6 1951 George EdwiaL nwt a ime l.dm'ess see 10 Armed, Steel l'orporation,v .a corporation of iOhio -=-Applica tidn Feliifiary 25, 1948, Serial Noii IOiGS'? This. invention relates to the welding-rof Emetal and in particular: it has to do -withfelectrical re- -sistance welding of stainless steel.

An object of myinvention is thez-provision'. of

a simple, reliable and'thoroiughly, practical meth- 50d -for "electricali resistance rspot, seam wor ":butt

welding two'orimore martens'itic; onpartially'martensitic, stainless steel components whether; for example-these ibei thet'ends. ofvassingle steel piece \or rseparate relements w of like or. 'jdifie'rent talloy composition.

Another object of this invention is theapro'vision .of a rapid,e.:efficient:- and= highly: Satisfactory method for achieving"durable;substantially'iductile-welds in:i quenchehardened' martensiticistain- -less steel.

A iurthero'bj ect of :the :present invhtion is that-of providing strong; ductile and reliable elec- -trical resistance spotlor seam" 'welded joints in 'hardenable 1, stainless; steel.

Other objects; of rmyi invention in part willrbe obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consistsein thecombination 1 of elements, composition :of iimaterials .and features rot-products, and-"in theeseverale'steps and the-' relation of ea ch roizthewsame to" onewor more of the others asdescribed herein,=. the:scope of the application -:;of whichlis 5 indicated" in the following claims.

h In the.- accompanyingdrawing--the-isinglerfigure illustrates certain features of my invention as more ,particularly reierred -tohereinafter.

As conducive to a clearer understanding ofz-certainfeatures:'of myw-invention; itmay" lie-noted at this point that stainles steel "usually is recognized as containingapproximately %ta-35% mainder substantially :all iron.

-.The stainless": steels whichacquirehardness hy heat treat-menthave many "uses ditenvarying with the included =ichr'omium and carbon scontents. In certain instancess'the-stelsiare:'made into such products .'as*-blades and buckets-leftmbines,=-valves,: valve .seatawalveresteins,iiand othr f5aC laims. (cum-:10)

s parts subject :to high and low eremie asgor --rstea-m.coriditions. {:Sucharticles as cutltingden- :taland; surgical zinstruments golf clubs, rifle-barw rels, and: interior Eornamental hardware are other examples. While many'of the steels ido not a've the corrosion resistance .of comparatively ghalloy,--non-hardenable stainless steels, they: otten i-give :cmore -:s-atisfactory service vfor a particular use; iromathelstandpoint of hardness, elastic prop- Thereare occasions ---whe re the martensitic :SjQiIllESS steels are fabricated from wireor-;the r like-int0-;gri11e s, screens 'or egra'tings such a for exposure to-outdoor air- 011 mine water. On other occasions, sheet :oristr-ip (of the steel is madewinto asuchqprod-ucts va s high a'grade architectural and mechanical trim,=bank vaulttrimmings or safety deposit boxes --for withstanding theg corrosive effectsaof moisture 'ialild' handling. Still other and 'further -:exa m-ples ;of products of the hardened rsteelsare milk bottling machine-parts, parts for espray machines orioili-pumps laundry machinery, a chemical equipment orthe like. Many ofthese and numerousotherprod-ucts of the; steels render it desirable --toifabricate the metal by step :in- :cluding one For; more welding: operations.

;The: successful welding of l hardened or hardeni-able stainless.-steel, however, has;long been a .problernsbeeause:ofesuchireasonsas the tendency :of oracles .-t0--.formi'n :the welding :heat-afiected zone;of the. base metal. lnspot or; seam" elding theesteels, in accordance with; heretofore known celectrioal resistance methods, the welding heatafiected area often i air -hardens :to "become =extremely brittle and runreliable. *Inbeing brittle and greatly lacking in ductility, the weldsi-have poor resistance to shock or impact, are unable to endure much bending, shear or other stress. These famtsvand susceptibilities to failure haye hadf-an appreciable limiting afiect upon-success- "ful' lis'edf' the" aruenatieastaimess 'stelsandusul atbestha 'calldifofstriictural'change'si'to @eommisate lfor. inher'ent 'Tweakness'es o fIthe weld s .l I nforderto alleviate the difil ultiesfromcrafckiiii'gand brittleness1oflthe'welded:steels,jthe p "or var-t calls fora--carefu1ly?supervised control ever --the welding'proced'ure, intended to assure'proper postheating or'-:annealing. This -fextra proce- .i-dlne, hbw verfis' time consumingran'd' often adds Ea 'cost figure "which is prohibitive to productien. Indeed, in certain typespf -fabricated articles-and products pest' heating or 'iiriealin'g isnnd'esii'able ":becausei' of suchfactorsa distortion d the l y weld-acne induced =b'y =the extra-Havana because of associated softening of the annealed metal. Sometimes too the avoidance of annealing becomes important to prevent any possible impairment of the metal hardness by the annealing heat and to maintain other properties consistent with the intended purpose or use of the previously hardened metal. Also there are occasions where general annealing or even localized annealing is not practicable, for example in certain instances where the weld is an integral part of a large structure.

An outstanding object of my invention accordingly is the provision of economical, sound, substantially crack-free electrical resistance welds in martensitic stainless steels, the welds being substantially non-brittle and ductile without annealing, and yet being reasonably hard.

Referring now more particularly to the practice of my invention, I provide welds, preferably electrical resistance welds, in stainless steel parent metal, as in fabricating sheet, strip, wire, rods illustratively casings, ducts, tubes, gratings and grilles. Among the martensitic stainless steel which I prefer to weld are those in the quenchhardened condition, containing about 0.08% to 1.20% carbon, 11% to 18% chromium, with or without nickel, the latter, when present, ranging up to 2.5% or often held to below 0.50%, and the remainder being substantially all iron, this sometimes with amounts of one or more supplemental elements of the steel as for special purposes.

In preparing the martensitic steel for the resistance welding operation, I introduce austenitic stainless steel, preferably one of the 18-8 chromium-nickel varieties, between the adjacent surfaces of the parent metal entering the intended zone of welding. Usually, the austenitic steel is a shim, as for example a strip, button, washer, wire, or rod, filling a gap between the parent metal. Thereafter, by electrical resistance Welding operations, preferably by spot or seam welding, I fuse the austenitic stainless steel component, and the adjacent martensitic parent steel, thus providing a zone of molten metal in which the various constituents of the several steels intermingle to a substantial extent to form an alloy stainless steel welded joint or nugget con 'taining substantially more austenite than the martensitic parent steel. A number of commercial martensitic stainles steels which are typical of the steels which I weld are noted by standard vide enough austenite to ensure ductility. This thickness, or the quantity of austenitic steel desired for melting, of course depends somewhat upon that of the martensitic parent steel being welded, and also upon the particular alloy composition of the latter. Usually, as in the instance of employing an austenitic 18-8 chromiumnickel stainless steel shim, the thickness of this member ranges around one-twentieth of the combined thickness of the martensitic steel to be spot or seam welded, especially where the parent steel is in the form of superimposed or lapped sheet or strip. While this approximate ratio is preferred in certain instances, many other ratios also serve to give strong, ductile welds, and thus frequently are used.

The austenitic stainless steel shim or insert introduces high electrical resistance to the welding current at the point where fusion is important. Heat, therefore, is readily generated at the desired zone of welding. In view of the high electrical resistivity of the austenitic steel, the current introduced for melting the shim or insert and the immediately adjacent metal, is highly effective per unit of time. I find advantage in compressing the several steels at the desired point of welding; the austenitic steel being soft, readily gives good electrical contact tending to localize the zone of heating. The shim or insert fuses along with the parent steel, this producing a welded joint wherein the several steels are alloyed.

As illustrative of the practice of my invention, 1'. provide, for spot welding, two pieces of Type 410 quench-hardened stainless steel sheet, respectively represented in the single figure of the drawing by the reference numerals l0 and l l. The two pieces each, for example, are 0.09 inch thick and contain about 0.10% carbon, 12.5% chromium, 0.50% manganese, 0.50% silicon, 0.03% sulphur and a like amount of phosphorus and the remainder substantially all iron. I superimpose these pieces to form a welded joint, at the same time employing an austenitic chromium-nickel stainless steel shim l2 as an intermediate member. This shim is say about 0.01 inch thick, and separates the two martensitic steel pieces by the amount of its thickness. In this instance, the shim illustratively analyzes about 0.11% carbon, 18.2% chromium, 8.3% nickel, 0.40% manganese, 0.50% silicon, very small amounts of sulphur and phosphorus, and the remainder substantially all lIOIl.

I effect the spot welding operation, while positype number and composition in the following tively holding the assembled pieces In and H in table.

Weldable martensitic steels desired position with suitable clamping means.

C Cr Ni Mn Si S P 0.15 max--. 11.50 to 13.50- 1.00 max.- 1.00 max 0.04 max. 0 04 max 0.15 max.-. 11.50 to 13.50. l.25to2.50 1.00 max-. 1.00 max 0.04 max 0 04 max 0.15 max... 12.00 to 14.00. 1.00 max 1.00 max.. P or S or 39 0 07 min M0 or Zr 0.00 max. 0.15 m1n--..- 12.00 to 14.00. 1.00 max.. 1.00 max.. 0.04 max 0.04 max. 0.20 max--. 15.00 to 17.00. 1.25t02.50 1.00 max 1.00 max.. 0.04 max 0.04 max. 0.60 to 0.75. 16.00 to 18.00. 1.00 max" 1.00 max 0.04 max 0.04 max 0.75 to 0.95 16.00 to 18.00. 1.00 max 1.00 max" 0.04 max 0.04 max 0.95 to 1.20. 16.00 to 18.00. 1.00 max" 1.00 max- 0.04 max 0.04 max.

My invention is particularly useful for the resistance welding of sheet or strip by either spot or seam welding operations. However, it will of course be understood that it is applicable to other metal forms and a variety of special shapes. The austenitic stainless steel shim or the like employed for the weld preferably is sufficiently thick, to pro- In welding, I employ for example a Sciaky kva. spot welding machine having opposed inch electrodes I3 and 14, one with a flat tip and the other with a round tip, these on opposite sides of the work. The electrodes are forced, with say a pressure of 600 pounds against the sections to be welded. This pressure is not extremely criti-.

cal, but serves such purposes as to improve the electrical contact, between the several steel pieces and of the electrodes with the outermost of these sections. Meanwhile, I introduce an 18,000 ampere current to the electrodes and through the work from a suitable source of electrical supply 15. The current flows for a very brief interval and then is cut oil. In this particular instance, the time of current flow is cycles of '60-cycle current or second. For heavier sections, a larger current dwell is usually best, while for lighter sections a shorter dwell, as for example 4 second or even less, often is advantageous. After the current dwell, my martensitic stainless steel pieces in and H are found to be integral with the austenitic steel piece 12, beneath the point where the welding machine electrodes were brought to bear. The weld is in the form of a spot or nugget 16 which is strong, ductile and substantially free of cracks and embrittlement. A weld so produced was subjected to a peel test, one end of the welded sections being gripped in a vise, and the component sheets being urged toward separation by driving a chisel between them. Before the weld spot l6 parted, the sheets were permanently distorted to form an included angel of approximately 30 degrees. A similar test made on two martensitic stainless steel sheets of the same composition and dimensions as before, but welded without a shim and otherwise the same conditions of welding, caused the weld nugget to snap in two before distortion of the sheets occurred.

While the duration of the passage of the current across the electrodes has been measured in the foregoing in terms of the number of cycles of 60-cycle welding current, it will be appreciated that 25-cycle, -cycle, direct current, or any other suitable welding current may be successfully employed in the practice of my invention.

Further, it will be appreciated that I provide spot or seam welds between any of a number of martensitic stainless steel pieces, as for example from two up to four or more, using in addition enough austenitic stainless steel, such as an intermediate piece or pieces to achieve strength and ductility by alloying in the weld. In welding the section, the criterion is that the passage of a sufficiently high current, with sunicient pressure of the electrodes on the weld section, endures for a length of time sufficient to raise both the martensitic and austenitic components to the welding and alloying temperature and without overheating.

Thus according to my method of electric resistance welding, employing short dwell and high electrical currents, the various objects of my invention, together with many thoroughly practical advantages are obtained. Vastly increased and advantageous properties of strength, toughness and ductility are imparted to the weld. Moreover, it becomes possible to weld successfully many alloy steels which have hitherto been considered as being incapable of successful spot or seam welding due to their tendency to crack or become brittle. My new technique can be utilized with either manual or automatic manipulation of the weld sections being welded. Aseries of spot weldsmay be made rapidly and efficiently. Little if any additional equipment over and above conventional welding equipment is required. My method, therefore, is characterized by extreme simplicity, efficiency and economy.

While my welding method is especially beneflcial from the standpoint of achieving welds in 6 quench-hardened'stainless steel, it will be appr ciated that certain advantages at times are had by employing the method for welding martensitic stainless steel before quench-hardening the metal, thereafter heating and quenching the welded structure for hardening.

Also while many advantages are had in spot or seam welding sheet, strip or like products of martensitic stainless steel in accordance with my method, it will be understood that certain benefits are derived by employing the method for welding other'and different shapes of the steel, these sometimes being quite intricate in form, and often for achieving electrical resistance welds other than spot or ,seam welds.

It will be appreciated also that certainadvantages in my welding method are had by substituting sources of austenite-forming ingredients, such as substantially pure nickel strip, for the austenitic chromium-nickel shims or the like which I usually employ.

As many possible embodiments may be made of my invention and as many changes may be made in the embodiment hereinbefore set forth it will be understood that all matter described herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not as a limitation.

I claim:

1. A method of welding 0.08% to 1.20% carbon, 11.0% to 18% chromium martensitic stainless steel sheet, strip, or the like, the art which includes inserting a nickel-bearing austenite-forming shim between superimposed portions of said martensitic steel to introduce substantial quantitles of austenite in the intended weld, and passing an electric welding current through said shim and steel and across the contacting surfaces thereof to producea welded joint.

2. A method of spot-welding or seam welding 0.08% to 1.20% carbon, 11.0% to 18.0% chromium martensitic stainless steel to a base member, which comprises introducing a shim of austenitic stainless steel of approximately 18% chromium-8% grade between said martensitic stainless steel and said base member and in sufficient quantity to introduce substantial amounts of austenite in the intended weld, and passing an electric welding current through said martensitic and austenitic steels and said base member and across the contact surfaces thereof to produce a welded joint.

3. A method of welding 0.08% to 1.20% carbon, 11.00% to 18.0% chromium martensitic stainless steel sheet, strip, or like product to a base member, which comprises providing an austenitic stainless steel insert of approximately 18% chromium-8% nickel grade between said martensitic steel product and said base member and in contact therewith and of about the thickness of the martensitic steel product to introduce substantial quantities of austenite to the intended weld, and passing an electric weld current through said martensitic stainless steel product and austenitic stainless steel insert and base member and across the contact surfaces thereof to produce a welded joint.

4. A welded product comprising a plurality of superimposed portions including 0.08% to 1.20% carbon, 11.0% to 18.0% chromium martensitic stainless steel sheet, strip or like member, a base member, and a nickel-bearing austeniteforming insert between said members and immediately contacting the same; and a plurality of localized substantially ductile electrical resistance welds securing the whole, said welds containing' substantially large quantities of austenite as compared with the parent steel member.

5. A welded product comprising at least two parts of martensitic 0.08% to 1.20% carbon, 11.0% to 18.0% chromium stainless steel sheet, strip or the like, and an austenite-forrning chromiumnickel stainless steel insert therebetween; and a plurality of ductile electrical resistance welds securing the whole together, said welds containing substantially large quantities of nickel as compared with the parent steel.

GEORGE EDWIN LINNERT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

8 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,024,150 Davignon Dec. 1'7, 1935 2,214,002 Trainer et a1 Sept. 10, 1940 2,285,554 Austin June 9, 1942 OTHER REFERENCES The Fabrication of U. S. S. Stainless Steels," 1939, page 1, American Steel and Wire Company,

* New York, N. Y.

Page-Allegheny Stainless Steel Welding Electrodes, Page Steel and Wire Division, American Chain and Cable Company, Inc., Bridgeport, Conn.

The Welding Engineer, October 1946, pages 44, 47, and 49. 

